SRI LANKA: LTTE DETONATE MINE DURING RUSH HOUR ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000768

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
MCC FOR D. NASSIRY AND E. BURKE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: LTTE DETONATE MINE DURING RUSH HOUR ON
COLOMBO'S BUSIEST STREET

REF: COLOMBO 753

Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake Jr. for reasons 1.4(b, d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On May 28, 2007, at approximately 5:40
p.m. local time, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
detonated a claymore mine on Galle Road near Ratmalana
military base. The attack was clearly an attempt to kill
Special Task Force (STF) soldiers traveling on a bus after
completing training exercises at the base. Seven civilians
and one police officer were killed, with almost 40 more
wounded, including seven STF personnel. Although the LTTE
has publicly denied involvement in the attack, a confidential
source told the Regional Security Office that the Tigers
indicated similar attacks could be expected in the future.
END SUMMARY.

CLAYMORE MISSES ITS INTENDED TARGETS?
--------------


2. (C) On May 28, the LTTE set off a claymore mine during
rush hour in Colombo's southern suburbs, on one of the
busiest highways in the country. The attack was clearly an
attempt to kill Special Task Force soldiers leaving the
Ratmalana military complex after training exercises.
According to STF sources, the claymore was likely attached to
the roof of an abandoned office building. Witnesses reported
seeing people making "repairs" to the building a few days
earlier. This explosion comes on the heels of the May 24
claymore attack on an Army bus in northern Colombo in which
eight soldiers and civilians were injured (reftel). The
Ratmalana attack was more devastating, killing seven
civilians and one police officer and injuring approximately
40 people, four critically. Among those injured were seven
STF soldiers, but all appear likely to recover from their
injuries. Sri Lanka Military Spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe
told embassy personnel that in this incident the Tigers
remotely detonated approximately 10-15 kilograms of C4
plastic explosive. Many observers were surprised that the
death toll was not higher, given the attack's timing and
location.


3. (C) Although the Tigers have publicly denied any
involvement in the Ratmalana claymore attack, a confidential
RSO informant with ties to LTTE sources said that similar
attacks could be expected in the future. He described the
bus attack on the 24th and this attack in Ratmalana as "test
runs." The source stated that the Tigers were pleased with
the success of these attacks and described a complex network
involving Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese contacts working
together to set up future attacks. This type of remotely
detonated claymore attack is useful, the source continued,
because they do not cost any LTTE lives; they are easy to
coordinate; and they are very difficult to detect. According
to the RSO's source, the abandoned business used to stage the
Ratmalana claymore explosion was recently acquired by people
with ties to organized crime in Sri Lanka.


4. (C) COMMENT: Although ostensibly aimed at military
targets, the LTTE's recent claymore attacks do not -- unlike
some in the past -- appear to have been designed to minimize
civilian casualties. In addition to spreading terror and
snarling traffic, these latest attacks ripple through the
economy, as heightened security measures designed to stop
future attacks render normal daily tasks ever more
complicated and time-consuming. One theory about this
incident is that by targeting the STF directly, the LTTE is
hoping that the police special units will rise to the bait
and retaliate randomly against Tamil civilians, rather than
allowing paramilitary groups like the Karuna faction to try
to locate the perpetrators using unorthodox tactics. The

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increased tension and polarization this would produce in Sri
Lanka's capital could only work to the Tigers' advantage.
BLAKE